Wrestling clubs work to build powerhouse culture

Masteringthe mat

From tiny 4-year-old mat rats to high-school heavyweights, youth wrestling -- and the determination, motivation and strength that comes with it -- has become a way of life for many in El Paso.

"Wrestling is the No. 1 sport in developing a kid's integrity, discipline and physical and mental strengths," said Eric Martinez, head coach of the Takedown Elite Youth Wrestling Club. "It's been said by a lot of famous people, 'Once you've wrestled, everything in life is easy.' "

In wrestling, there are no teammates on the mat with you. It's just you, your opponent and the techniques you have learned from many hours of sweating in a hot, smelly gym.

There are not only physical demands but also nutritional expectations wrestlers endure.

"Football players work hard and they practice hard, and so do wrestlers," Martinez said. "But we are doing that on a strict diet. We eat healthy. We don't eat junk, we don't eat candy, we don't drink Cokes throughout the season. If they are putting junk, fat, grease, sugar into their bodies, it's not going to perform to the best of its ability.

The coach's son, 9-year-old Christopher Martinez, the Far West Regional champ at the D2 49-pound class, said he wrestles because it's fun.

"I've been doing it a while," said Christopher, who was also named to Team Texas in his age group. "I like being out here with the guys and grappling with them on the mat."

Christopher said the most difficult part of training is eating properly.

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"That's really hard," he said as a wide smile crept across his face. "I like to eat pizza and things like that. But during the season I'll eat ham and only one piece of bread with my sandwich."

Christopher's teammate 8-year-old Hunter Mason has been wrestling for only two years but has already has won several awards in the D1 46-pound class, including rookie state champion and Texas freestyle state champion in 2010-2011 and Far West regional champion and novice state champion this year.

"I like being on the mat and practicing with my teammates," he said. "This is all I do. I love the competition that wrestling gives me."

Cross Warnock, who will be a freshman at Coronado High School, is heading into his fourth year of wrestling.

"My dad wrestled in high school, and he encouraged me to try it; it's been really fun for me," said Cross, who wrestles between 120 and 130 pounds. "I don't want to sit on the couch all day long doing nothing. This actually keeps me busy."

Joe Frescas has been coach of the Westside Wizards Wrestling Club for 10 years.

Since 2002, the Wizards -- the oldest youth wrestling club in El Paso -- have won more than 50 individual state championships, have had more than 150 individual state placers, and have produced many individual national champions, All-Americans and members of Texas national teams.

As a team, the Westside Wizards have won three consecutive Texas USA Wrestling Far West Regional championships and have been runners-up the past two years at the Texas USA Wrestling Open State Team Championships.

"Over the past couple of years participation has declined just a little bit," Frescas said. "But our high-school clubs are getting a lot better because of the youth programs. We still have a lot of kids we need to reach to try to get out for wrestling."

He said the success of the 2012 Olympic team -- two gold medalists in Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner -- should give the sport a bump.

"Parents can start their kids wrestling as young as 4 years old," he said. "You want to start them young so by the time they get to high school they'll be ready to compete at that state level."

Frescas said parents shouldn't be too concerned about their children getting hurt. They are paired up by age and weight," he said. "Typically the 4- and 5-year-olds are never separated by more than 5 pounds, so they are wrestling with kids with even skill levels."

All wrestlers must wear headgear and wrestling shoes, and they wrestle on 2-inch wrestling mats.

At last year's UIL State Wrestling Championship, Coronado High School finished 15th and Franklin finished 20th out of 109 schools in the boys' division.

El Paso had two state champions on the girls' side last year: Yvonne Galindo from Jefferson pinned Abril Ramirez from El Paso High in the 138-pound division, and Natalia Hinoso of Montwood defeated Cadey Widacki of Katy Morton Ranch in the 148-pound class.

"A lot of the good high-school wrestlers are starting to come up through the youth programs," Frescas said.

Martinez, who wrestled at Tucumcari High School in New Mexico in the early 1990s, has been coaching for eight seasons.

"El Paso has some of the best wrestlers in the state," said Martinez, who moved to El Paso from Dallas three years ago. "The problem is, a lot of El Paso kids don't have the opportunity or the funds to get to the big tournaments in Dallas, Houston and Austin so they don't have the chance to showcase their abilities at a state level."

Martinez said Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts has created an interest in combat sports.

"You have all this MMA stuff going on, and you see the more dominate fighters come from a wrestling background," he said. "I'm going to get some jiujitsu guys mad when I say this, but you put a pure jiujitsu guy on the mat against a pure wrestler, I'll take the wrestler 99 percent of the time."

Martinez, who took several of his Takedown Elite wrestlers on a seven-day wrestling camp in Missouri, will hosting his own camp on Aug. 25 with 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kendal Cross.

"I brought him down to strengthen El Paso wrestlers," Martinez said. "I know this region, if we unite and wrestle together and wrestle to our ability and skills and utilize all of our assets to help the community as a whole, we can dominate the state."

Victor R. Martinez may be reached at vmartinez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6128.

Make plans

What: Takedown Elite Wrestling Club is having a clinic featuring 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kendall Cross. Open to wrestlers 5 years old through high school.

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 25.

Where: Alderete Middle School, 801 Talbot in Canutillo.

How much: $50 (includes lunch).

Information: Eric Martinez, 613-7131.

Take to the mat

Look for a wrestling club in El paso? Go to txusaw.com/Far_West_Region.html.

The season -- which consists of up to six local, regional and state tournament -- typically begins in mid-October and runs through March.